Problem
Parents play a critical role in a student's education; therefore at MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate we worked hard to maintain frequent, clear communication between the school and parents. One very effective tool available now is online access to grades. We found; however, that when the portal was new, parents often did not know how to set up accounts, and once they did, they often didn't know how to interpret what they saw in the gradebooks. With over 1,200 students at our school, ensuring that all parents could access the system would require dedication and a coordinated effort.
Product
To assist parents, I created screencasts in both English and Spanish. I first recorded "How to Create an Aeries Parent Portal Account" ; then I produced the Aeries tour, which explains how to interpret what parents see in the portal. For the Spanish language version, I first translated my English script; then gave it to a native Spanish speaker to review for any corrections. I then re-recorded using the Spanish script.
I recorded the screencasts using Screencast-O-Matic; then used DaVinci Resolve to edit the videos. While many videos can be both recorded and edited in Screencast-O-Matic, I needed some advanced editing features from DaVinci Resolve to protect personal information.
We used the completed videos as part of the parent education meetings, where parents had the opportunity to ask questions, and they were posted on the school's website for parents to access at their convenience. Counselors also used the videos as an ongoing resources for parents. As the online parent portal became more widely used, parents were better able to monitor their children's participation in their classes. Watch the Aeries Parent Portal Tour in English.